Lubricated valve



July 1 1942- F. H. MUELLER E1-AL 3 5 0 LUBRICATED VALVE Filed Jan. s, 1940 ZU'a/fer- Jflowann Frank JLJfue/Zerz.

secting the same.

Patentedlluly 14, 1942 zam w it a l l ilpplicaticn The" present invention "relatesto: valves.

lubricated V7 The principal objects of the "invention'iare to provide a valve which is eflicien'tjin sealing: actio'nyand which valve is also of-such construction thatpressure can readily beapplied to 'the plug thereof to lift-the same'irom its seat int the event that the valve' becomes seized 'ineither open-cr' closed position. w in Other objects andadvantages of theainventl'on will be apparent 'from the/following drawing,

wherein: i

Figurewl' is aside elevation of the valve Figure 2is.iablongitudinal central ;.section through the valve.

Figure 3 is a a fragmentarv transverse section movedrci y".

Figure is' a fragmentary section on" the .line

Figure 5 is a transverse angled line'5- -5-oi Figure 2.1-; a

Figurei-fii is'x a perspective; view showing the washer structure usedvintheavalve of Figures 1 to:5.' e. Figure ;;7i-is a view simi-larto Figurea 5, but showing a 'rnodified .form::of washer structure;

n sectional view on the i Referring. toyFigures 1 l to;- 6, the numeral lfl indicates a valve:casingmemberfincluding a tapered seat H having a flow passagewfly ll interopenstoa chamber I13 which is of suiliciently large diameter that a shoulder; l4 will be pro-' vided in the chamber; about the reduced end or the seats H @A plug lief tapered form including- The reduced endof the seat a flow passageway I8 is mounted in the seat 'I I,

ficientlyulongts in an axial directionthat'it will contact with every portion ofutheseat 'II or: casingimemberlih i The reduced" end of 1 the plug Ii includes a shank l8 extending intorthe chamber: l3 and which a is the seating surface l'l of theiplug "being suf-fl flattenediassindicatedatl9 touform a key. Be-

yond 'the, key :I 9,- the extension. I 8 isthreaded as indicated at? 20 to receive a nut2 I Theiseating surface; I I! of casing member H) is provided with a plurality "of longitudinally, extending grooves 22. As best shown inFig-ure 3, foursuch grooves are providediinl thelseating esurface, preferably spaced apart and with two grooves in each portion of the seating surface H between the this arrangement, when the plug I5 is rotated to closed position, each endof the flow passage I6 intersecting ends of the flow passageway l2. By

of the plug will be between two of the grooves; 5

member [0.

vbearvfirmly upon the shoulder of the same so that it will not contact I mmcmn mn L I I I Frank Mueller arid Walter Il l.',fas signors, to Mueller y ccrpcration at Illinois" amen 1940, serial no; 312,788

r, strain; was; i cav m n a f. if. p

- ma s-.3$ 9 3 n V. .t v in a a a As best showninFigure 2, the grooves 22 are-cf I the seating surface I l of casing less "length than As illustrated in Figures zfit and 4, ;t he ends of; the grooves22 adjacent the reduced-end of,"

O F CE r theseating surface-J I are circ'umierentially enlarged, as-indicatedat 23, and,as.particularly illustrated in Figure 1 4,1 the. enlargements 23 are somewhat deeper, inja directiomradially of the seating surface I I than the grooves 22. A port 24 extends-from each enlargement 23 to the shoulder H of Ichambe'rl 3.

' r'lheigrooves 22 and their enlargements 23am preferably formed in the casingl member during 1 casting, andthe ports! are subsequently drilled.

The'enlargements 23 insurethat the drilled holes 24-iwill communicate with'the. grooves 22.

A washer structure preferably including a metal washer :26: anda resilient. washer 2'! is mounted on the keyed portion l9 0! plug IS. The metal washer 26iis provided with two'peripherall'y extending :and diametrically opposite cutouts 28 andupwardlyaextending tangs 29 areiormed at e the "endsof thesecutout portions. The resilient washer 21 is preferably formedeof rubber of proper resiliency: and includes cutouts 30 which correspondto thecutouts28-ofthemetal washer except that, as shown in Figure, 6,: the rubbenwasher cutouts are somewhat longer circumferentially; in order that the tangs .29 will embrace a the edges 'of thecutouts oithe resilient washer. The resilientwasher-also includes upwardly projecting shoulders 3| which extend about the edge of the'rubber washer between its cutout per-- :tions. These shoulders are of greaterheightthane the tangs 29. The washers are provided witli aligned apertures of, keyed form to enable them to be secured uponythe key portion I! of stud l8 the resilient washer being arranged to beariupon theshoulder H of chamber I3. Theynut 2| is adapted ;to hold the washers in such position that the" shoulders 3| of the resilient washer will H- of chamber l3, 5A closure plug a: is -threadedin the outer end.

with the Also, dur- 7 ing both open and closed positions of "the plug ii,-

the shoulders 3! of the resilient washer 21 will bear upon and seal the mouths of the passages 24 which communicate with the grooves 22.

However, during rotation of the plug II from.

open to closed position, the two passages 24 which will not have their corresponding gooves 22 open to the flow passageway will communicatewith the lubricant chamber 13 through the cut.-

outs 2B in the washer structure. i

In the event that the valve becomes seized or I diflicult to rotate, it is only necessary to applyact upwardly to some extent to lift the valve but will not have as marked an axial lilting force as the greaseacting directly against the reduced end of the plug. Also, since the ports 24 are not sealed from the lubricant chamber Hi, the washer structure of Figure 7 cannot be used where the fluid moving through the line is apt to move along the valve seating surface, either because or its pressure or because of other causes.

It will obvious that during rotation of the plug I5 equipped with the washer structure of Figure 7, the shoulders 3 i of the resilient washer 521', will .close the two ports 24 which communipressure to the lubricant within the chamber.

l3 by inward rotation of .the closure plug 33.

This pressure applied to the grease will act uponthe reduced end of the plug I! through the space 35 between that surface of the plug and the opposedsuria'ce of the body of-resilient washer 21 to lift the plug in itsseat. Suchliiting move-' ment is'permitted'by reason of the. resiliency: or:

washer 21. At thesam'e time, because the possages- 24 will be sealedby thewasher shoulders 3!, the entire pressure of the greasewill be exerted to lift the plug. The plug may then bev rotated and when-the two ports 24 which'will be out of communication with :the .flow passage-- ways during turningmovement of the plug are uncovered by the washer structure, grease will move into those ports 24* and upwardly into the corresponding grooves 22 so as to relieve the pressure in the chamber-l3 to -enable the plug 1 to reseat. v

Figure 7 shows structure which comprises a metal and a resilient Washer 21' .including aligned arcuately extendingand diametrically opposite cutouts 28'. However, the cutouts 24 of *the modified form or washer washer 26' Figure 7 washer are somewhat longer than those oil the Figure 6 washer with the result that the .ports 24 which open to the shoulder 14 of chamber I! will not :be entirely covered during either open or closed position of the plug. Asibest shown in Figure '1, when the Figure 7 washer is applied, the mouths o! the ports 24 will be substantially'opposite the edges of the shoulder 3| or the resilient washer 21' and hence'wiil not be entirely covered. s

The form of washer disclosed in use in Figure.

'1 is desirable with valves-intended for use in installations where less pressure is required to raise the valve in its seat, or where the fluid mov-.

ing through the valve is notapt to escape along the seating surfaceof the valve. That is, when pressure is applied to the plug 15 otFlgure -7 by rotating the closure 33, in-either open or closed.v

position of the valve equipped as in Figure 7, less pressure will' be appliedto the reduced; end

or the plug l5 by the grease-because a portion.

of the pressure will actupwardly through the ports and in the corresponding grooves 22.

Grease pressure in the grooves 22 will, of course,

cate with the two grooves 22 which will be openedfto the-jfiow passageway of the valve during such rotation.

'Thestiucture'sof the present invention are readily adaptableto valves of all sizes.

.a passagewayfor flow of fluid. and a seat formed transversely of the passageway, a plug member rotatabiydisposedinthe seat and having a fluid passageway therethrough, the casing member having grooves therein extending longitudinally of theseating surface, a lubricant chamber at one end oLthe casing member seat,'said longitudinally extending grooves terminating at a point onthe seating surface. spaced from said chamber, separate ports formed entirely within the casing member extending from said chambeato, each of ;the :longitudinally extending grooves sothat a :groove and its associated port will form a grease passage, each port opening to anarea of the lubricant chamber separate from the seating suriface, and a control member including a .bearing surface positioned entirely outside of the seating surface to bear solely upon said area; the;entire mouth of each port opening to said area being laterally spaced from the seating surface to be independent of the latter and to. make said grease passages independent of each otherso that during rotation of the control memberwith the plug the grease passages which are open to the fluid passageway will be isolated rrom the other grease passages and the grease chamber. .1

-2. A valve as defined in claim. 1 wherein the control member is resilient.

v5. A valve as defined in claim 1 wherein the I control member comprises a metal backing element and a resilient element interposed between the backing element and the mouths of the ports, both of said elements having diametrically opposite cut-out portionson their peripheries.

' -.FRANKH.liliUELLER.

WALTER J. BOWAN. 

